This year, we've combined our GMDSS distress and weather data and made it available to you through an interactive dashboard. Explore, filter, and download the data that matters to you.
2,300
GMDSS distress signals handled, 2023–2025
741
Distress calls in 2025 — down from 801 in 2024
72%
of distress calls from Indian & Pacific Ocean regions
106,975
Maritime safety messages analysed
97.4%
of maritime safety broadcasts were routine Safety messages — only 2.6% classified as Urgent
~10
Weather broadcasts issued within the 12 hours preceding each distress event
Distress activity fell to 741 calls in 2025, down from 801 in 2024. On the surface, that reads as progress. But look deeper and the picture is more complicated.
The 2025 figure sits close to the six-year annual average of 799 calls recorded between 2018 and 2021. Seasonal surges returned on schedule. Tankers, bulk carriers, and offshore vessels continued to dominate the dataset. And the pressures driving incidents; geopolitical instability, machinery failures, electronic navigation threats, and the accelerating pace of the energy transition, showed no sign of easing.
What makes this year's dataset uniquely powerful is what sits alongside the distress data: analysis of over 106,975 maritime safety broadcasts reveals that, on average, approximately 10 weather warnings were transmitted in the 12 hours before each distress event. The warning signal exists. The question is how effectively it is being used.
This data helps us understand the forces behind the numbers. That is why, this year, we are putting the full dataset directly into your hands.
Weather warnings precede distress. The data proves it.
Analysis of 106,975 maritime safety messages reveals a consistent pattern: hazardous conditions are identified and communicated before maritime emergencies occur. Of all urgent safety messages in the dataset, 84.6% relate to weather, and an average of 10 weather broadcasts were transmitted in the 12 hours before each distress event.
84.6%
of urgent safety messages related to weather
WEATHER HAZARDS BY BROADCAST VOLUME
| HAZARD | SHARE OF BROADCASTS | URGENCY NOTE |
|---|---|---|
| Storm warnings | 75% | Most frequent year-round threat |
| Gale warnings | 20% | Consistent across all regions |
| Tropical cyclones | 4% | >99% of all urgent weather broadcasts |
| Icing warnings | <1% | Critical for polar operations |
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Regional breakdowns showing where risk is concentrated across global shipping corridors
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60%
Equipment failures now account for approximately 60% of all maritime incidents, as operational demands outpace maintenance cycles. Weather doesn't cause these failures — but it dramatically escalates their consequences.
72%
The Indian and Pacific Ocean regions consistently record the highest distress rates, driven by traffic density, corridor length, and the complexity of energy supply routes. These same regions bear the greatest exposure to tropical cyclones — the weather hazard generating over 99% of all urgent safety broadcasts.
Predictable
Distress activity surges at predictable intervals, giving operators a repeatable risk calendar to plan against. October recorded the highest volume of weather safety broadcasts, with approximately 1,029 messages issued before distress events in that month alone.
New
GPS spoofing and signal jamming are increasing in conflict-affected corridors, undermining situational awareness on modern vessels. Shadow fleet activity along Middle East and East Asia energy routes adds further layers of untracked exposure.
Tanker risk is no longer defined solely by weather and machinery failure. Operators are now navigating sanctions regimes, electronic interference and the rise of shadow fleets operating beyond mainstream regulatory frameworks, particularly along Middle East and East Asia energy corridors.
New risks along global energy routes
Tanker distress calls in 2025 were concentrated along the world's busiest energy corridors, particularly around the Middle East and East Asia. Alongside traditional machinery and navigational risks, operators are now confronting sanctions regimes, electronic interference and shadow fleet dynamics that sit beyond conventional safety frameworks.
Old hazards persist despite decades of reform
For bulk carriers, the findings tell a different story. Despite significant advances in vessel design and decades of regulatory reform, many of the sector's most serious threats remain unchanged. Machinery reliability and cargo-related risks continue to dominate incident reports, raising questions about whether regulatory frameworks are keeping pace with operational realities.
Red Sea disruption reshapes global operations
Few sectors have felt the impact of geopolitics more acutely than container shipping. Throughout 2025, major operators continued diverting vessels around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid attacks in the Red Sea. The rerouting added up to two weeks to voyages, increasing fuel consumption, crew workloads and vessel exposure — while GPS disruption in conflict-affected regions added a further layer of navigational complexity.
Energy transition creates new high-stakes environments
Offshore wind expansion and LNG growth are placing vessels in complex, unfamiliar operating environments with little margin for error. Offshore distress calls reflect a sector under pressure to scale rapidly while managing safety risks that existing regulatory frameworks were never designed to address. The energy transition is changing risk profiles faster than the industry can respond.
Storms dominate
Storm warnings account for three quarters of all identified weather hazards — the most persistently broadcast meteorological threat on global shipping routes. Gale warnings represent a further 20%.
Cyclones drive urgent alerts
Despite comprising just 4% of overall weather hazards, tropical cyclones generated over 99% of all urgent weather broadcasts, reflecting their outsized operational and safety significance.
Peak broadcast season
Weather broadcasts peaked in October with approximately 1,029 messages issued before distress events. Monthly volumes remained consistently high, between 7,000 and 10,000 messages throughout the year.
Message warnings per event
On average, around 10 weather messages were transmitted in the 12 hours before each distress event — demonstrating that hazardous conditions are routinely identified and communicated before emergencies occur.
The figures in this dataset are not abstractions. Each distress call represents a vessel, a crew, and a chain of events that can be traced back through the warning signals that preceded it. The following incidents from 2024–2026 illustrate what the data looks like in practice.
A British yachtsman activated his distress beacon after encountering extreme Atlantic conditions. Wind gusts approaching 157 km/h were recorded. Multiple rescue assets were deployed following earlier weather warnings — a direct example of the broadcast-to-distress sequence documented in the analysis.
An ageing tanker broke apart during a severe storm in the Kerch Strait. One crew member died; thousands of tonnes of fuel oil entered the Black Sea. The incident combines the two dominant risk factors in the dataset: vessel age and machinery limitation compounded by storm exposure.
Four commercial vessels broke free from moorings after 70-knot cyclonic winds. Ships drifted kilometres before tugboats secured them, demonstrating that cyclone risk extends to port operations as well as open-ocean voyages.
Maersk reported storms and heavy snowfall forced vessels to seek shelter and suspended terminal operations across multiple ports. Cargo losses were reported by CMA CGM from the same weather system, illustrating the commercial reach of routine storm events.